Don't Save Me
by scarlettstones
Summary: Bella goes on a trip of a lifetime around Europe for her college summer vacation in an attempt to lose her demons. While there, she keeps meeting Edward, a handsome heir to a big family business he will take over soon. Bent on keeping a distance from anyone, she builds walls up around herself, but will Edward be the one to take them down?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: If you haven't figured it out yet, I just reposted this. Sorry to all those who were reading this.**

**Anyways, to the new readers, enjoy!**

**Scarlett**

* * *

It's not everyday you meet someone like this.

I was a 21-year-old NYU student on a trip around Europe for summer. He was a 24-year-old taking a vacation before he was to inherit his large family business. We were from different sides of America— me being from San Francisco and him coming from Chicago. Who would have known that we were meant to meet and have a talk more than once, let alone us being in love?

Nobody, of course. Not even me or him could guess that would happen.

* * *

"You done packing, sis?" My brother, Jazz smirked as he leaned against the door frame of my room.

I sighed then rolled my eyes at him. "Almost. Now get out." I threw my wooden hairbrush at his face but he caught it just in time.

He shook his head slowly in disapproval and chuckled. "That's not how you make your brother leave, Bells."

"Stop calling me Bells! God, don't call me that again." I groaned.

"There was only one person you allowed to call you that." He remarked and I stiffened up.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Only Rosalie gets to call me that. She's gone now, so..." I brought my fist near my face, biting on my long sleeve.

Jazz sighed and walked around my suitcase & backpack. He bent down and grabbed me into a hug. "Look, it's just us now— me, you, Renée & Dad. Dad's moved on, I've moved on... Renée's kinda moving on bit by bit but you... You're just clinging on to her." He whispered. "You've got to let her go."

"She's our sister, Jazz. I was much closer to her than you. That's different." I pushed him away.

"So if I died in a car accident like her—" I flinched "—you'll get over me quickly?"

"Jazz, you know it's not like that." I told him.

"Bella, I'm not the one who needs reassuring. You've been keeping it all in. Come on, let it out." He rubbed my back, but I pushed him away.

"No thank you." I replied. "You can go now."

He sighed, then placed my hairbrush into my small black backpack. "If you need me to follow, you know I will." He said, then left.

I knew that Jazz was worried about me. He always had been. He was just a year older than me with the same shade of blond hair Rosalie had. The three of us shared the same ice blue eyes, but Jazz & Rosalie also shared the same slightly tanned complexion. I was just an awkward, 5'7" pale-skinned blue-eyed girl with chestnut brown hair. Rosalie was a petite 5'4" frame, while Jazz was an athletic 6'1" guy. Rosalie & Jazz looked like twins despite their two-year gap. Rosalie was older than me by three years.

Jazz & I lost Rosalie to a car accident she was involved in during her spring break, where she went on a road trip with her friends. She died right on the spot due to the impact and I could still remember hearing the news.

_I was in my junior year in high school, my report card being the perfect example of what an exemplary student was capable of. I came home to multiple of cars parked along the road in front of my mint-green average house. I frowned and opened the door._

_Everyone stared at me with sympathy and sadness. I still couldn't understand what was happening. Black. They were all in black. Everyone I passed by said their condolences to me. I still couldn't understand._

_I walked up the stairs to my room and found my black long-sleeved silk dress laid out on my bed, the creases ironed out. I picked it up and stared at it, trying to figure out what was happening. Soft raps on the door made my head snap up._

_"Bella?" My mother Renée rasped as her head peeked into the room. Her brown eyes were bloodshot— in fact, they were redder compared to the morning I saw her the same day. Her red hair was in a neat French twist and I could see that her sleeves were black too._

_"Renée?" I said._

_"Please change," she said. "Change, then come down to pay your final respects." That was all she said before leaving me alone to change. I did as she said and when I went down, Jazz stood by the stairs, waiting for me. I shot him a confused look as I glanced down at the suit he only reserved for weddings and funerals._

_"What's happening?" I asked him. He shook his head and quickly grabbed me, his hand on my arm as he gently pulled me to the common room. I yanked my arm from his grasp and glared at him. "Jazz, what is it?" I hissed._

_He gave me a pained look. "Bella, please."_

_"Not until you tell me what's happening!" I snarled._

_He shook his head._

_"Jasper, I _swear—_"_

_"Rosalie's dead." He said in a clipped, cold tone. "Happy?" _

_My brain didn't seem to accept the words he said to me. I didn't respond but continued my path towards the common room. A polished black casket was laid in the middle, a formal picture of my sister in front of it. My father Charlie hugged my mother as she cried into his shoulder. My father looked at me and nodded. I walked slowly towards the casket, feeling numb. I stared down into it and emotionally, I felt nothing at all. I felt like morphine numbed my mind from whatever pain or sadness that was supposed to be there._

_Even in death, Rosalie looked immaculate. Her blond hair was combed to perfection and lied down on her shoulders. Her slightly tanned skin was somehow finally pale. Her eyelids were painted with makeup and her cheeks were covered in blush. Her lips were a devilish red, just like she always loved wearing. I had to fight off a sarcastic laugh. Why pretend that she's alive when she's dead?_

_"Come on Bella," my mother sniffed as she laid a hand on my shoulder. "Say your last words to her."_

_I just stared down at Rosalie's lifeless body._

_"Bella." My mother nudged._

_"I hate you." I whispered so low Renée couldn't even hear. "I hate you so much, Rosalie. Being selfish is your specialty, isn't it? You're being selfish now. You're being selfish now just by lying in this dumb casket. I refuse to cry. I refuse to mourn over you. Great job on your awesome choice of how to leave us. Really."_

_I thought I saw Rosalie's lips twist up into a smile at my words._

* * *

"Come on now, Bella!" Renée knocked on the door repeatedly. "Your flight's in three hours' time!"

"I'm ready!" I said. I was wearing a pair of tight-fitting tapered white dress pants, a silk black mesh long-sleeved button-down tee and an ivory floral blazer with a scarf wound around my neck to match. Grey uggs covered my feet. I carried my black leather mini-backpack and dragged my suitcase by its handle out of the door.

"So, I don't need to follow you then?" Jazz said as he exited his room.

"No. You don't need to. I'm a grownup now. You don't always need to watch my back, you know." I told him.

"Okay. Fine. At least take this," he took my hand and placed a roll of hundred-dollar bills in it.

My jaw dropped. "I don't need this!" I shoved the roll at his hard chest. "I have a credit card for that."

"Look, there are some shops that don't allow payment by credit cards, okay?" He raised his hands to capture the roll.

"And that's why there is a thing called an ATM machine." I said. He laughed and we went down to enter the car.

Once we arrived at the airport in our old Chevy, Jazz pulled me to the terminal and hugged me tightly. "Don't talk to strangers. Keep your valuables close and read up on the scams conmen do to trick tourists. I don't want to see you in a cell."

"Wow. Okay. Love you too." I replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Cheese!" A flash blinded both of us, making Jazz let go of me. "Dammit, I forgot to turn off the flash..." My mother muttered as she pressed the buttons on the camera.

"Be careful, honey," Charlie said.

"Aw, Dad..." I grabbed him into a hug and he hugged me back.

"I don't want to lose you like Rosalie," he added in a soft tone. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dad." I let him go quickly after he mentioned her name and went on to hug and kiss my mother too. I waved goodbye at them before checking in. I had only an hour before the flight would leave and I should have boarded already, so I dashed to the plane.

The flight attendant standing by the entrance smiled politely at me and offered to take my bags. I gratefully accepted the offer. "Which class and seat?" She asked.

I checked my pass and my eyes widened. Must have been Jazz who upgraded my seat. "Uhm, business class. Seat G24?"

I followed behind the flight attendant and she raised her eyebrows. "You are lucky, indeed. You have the window seat." She said, then placed my suitcase into the storage space.

I took my seat and searched for my iPod in my mini-backpack, but found a familiar roll of bills. I groaned. "Jazz," I rolled my eyes. I shoved the money into the bag again and when I found my iPod, Lorde's_ The Love Club _started playing on shuffle mode. I typed a quick text to Jazz:

_You're dead to me._

His response was instant. I played the voice recording he sent me. "Well, if so, is there a monument of me on my grave?" He laughed.

I recorded myself, "No. There's a monument of my middle finger on your grave." I then sent it to him and he sent back a voice recording of his laughter. I rolled my eyes.

I didn't reply and kept my eyes casted down. I saw that the seat beside me was finally occupied by some guy who was wearing dark washed jeans and a polo tee. Must have been some rich dude beside me.

"Uhm, excuse me," a smooth velvet voice said.

My head snapped up and I was met face-to-face with a guy who must have modeled for Calvin Klein. I first noticed his sharp cheekbones, then his unkempt bronze brown hair. His eyes were a startling grayish-green, his nose was straight and his lips were soft and pink.

I snapped out of my daze fast. "What?" I said rudely.

"Do you mind if we switch seats?" He asked.

I scrutinized him. "Why?"

"Window seats kind of help me to calm down." he replied.

I rolled my eyes at him and stood up. He stood up too and sat down at my original seat. "Eager, aren't we?" I said out loud and for the first time, he smirked a devilish smirk at me. I stared at him for two seconds before sitting down on his seat. I plugged in to my earphones again and stared into space.

The flight attendant tapped me on the shoulder. "We're taking off. Please strap up." She kindly reminded then proceeded to do the same to the rest.

I complied and I glanced at the guy beside me. He was looking at me and I sighed. "Look, do I know you?"

He smiled. "Edward Anthony Cullen."

My jaw dropped and covered my mouth in shock. "Oh my god! Are you serious?"

His eyes lit up. "Yeah."

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed. "Edward Cullen just switched seats with me! It's so nice to meet you!"

He grinned. "You've heard of me?"

I straightened my face and said in a monotone voice. "No."

I then picked up the remote of the mini-TV screen in front of me and browsed through the selection of movies the airplane provided. When I reached the end of the list of movies, I groaned. There was practically no interesting movies to watch. The airplane sucked.

"You don't have much friends, do you?" Edward asked.

"I prefer to keep it that way." I said.

"Why?"

I sighed out loud and requested for a pillow from the flight attendant passing by. She handed it to me in a minute and I lowered my seat. "Goodnight." I told him, ending the conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh hi. Anyways, in this chapter you'll see what is haunting Bella and the severity of it. Fortunately, her knight in shining armor is here! :)**

**Scarlett**

* * *

I didn't even bother looking at Edward for even a second. After taking my two hour power nap, I kept my pillow tucked under my arms. I could still somehow hear her voice talking to me.

_Bells, come on! _I heard her loud and clear. _You can't always stay this way!_

_Shut up,_ I mentally whispered.

_You're no fun_, I could hear her reply, but she wasn't really replying to what I said. _I guess that's what you just are— a boring person._

I finally took a glance at Edward, who fell asleep beside me. "I'm not." I whispered out loud.

_I'm going to show you how to have fun, little sister!_ She laughed.

_"I know you can handle the truth, but can you handle this?" Rosalie poured a shot of tequila for me and shook some salt on the back of my thumb. She challenged me through her gleaming blue eyes and I, being young and naïve, took up the challenge. I took the piece of lime that she held and sucked on it a couple of times before licking some salt off my hand and quickly downed the shot. Cooling yet burning alcohol dripped down my throat and the aftertaste of the salt, lime and tequila left me salivating a little. Rosalie smirked, refilling my shot glass. "Again?"_

I quickly called for the flight attendant. "Yes, ma'am?" She asked.

"Can I have... any liquor? Anything that can probably make me forget certain things." I requested. "Oh wait, do you just so happen to have a Bacardi here?" I lowered my voice a little. She nodded. I gave her a bright smile. "Perfect. Bring me a bottle of that along with lemon wedges, but lime's preferable. Sugar too. Thanks."

She quickly went off while I tried to ignore all memories of Rosalie from getting to me. I nibbled on my sleeve nervously as her words started attacking me one by one.

_"Shit, Bells," Rosalie slurred as she crawled on the grass, feeling for her other shoe. "I can't find it." I sighed, looking over the grass patch and saw the missing shoe. I walked over to it and threw it in front of her face. She looked up and smiled drunkenly, "I owe you, don't I?"_

_"You don't owe me anything, Rose." I told her, holding my hand out for her to grab. She gratefully accepted my hand and stood up. "What you owe me is an extra fifteen minutes of showering. I smell so much of beer from your dumb party. It's a miracle this place is still clean." _

_She giggled. "You are so silly, Bells. I will teach you how to have fun!" _

_"I was already having fun reading in my room, genius." I retorted._

_She ignored my words and linked arms with me as she skipped back into the house. "Far away, in the palace, there lived two princesses!" She sang off key. "Bells & Rosalie, forever looking out for each other because we are two peas in a pod!"_

The flight attendant came back with a tray of my requests and placed them on the table in front of me. I smiled politely up at her. "Thank you."

When she left, I proceeded to take a deep breath and squeeze the juice out of the lime into the glass and scattered in a teaspoon of sugar in it too. I poured the Bacardi 151 into the glass and swirled it around. The strong scent assaulted my senses and I gulped before drinking it in one go. The burn made me cringe and I felt tears threatening to burst. Other than the burn, the taste was like vodka— sour and tasted like crap, but twice worse. I allowed the lime juice to make it a little more enjoyable to drink.

I filled my glass up again and added more lime than my first drink. I drunk it all down in one go again and this time, the burn seemed to have died a little. My senses were numbing it down a bit.

_"Beautiful, Bells!" Rosalie exclaimed, clapping exaggeratedly as I took my first shot of the night. The shot didn't even taste like tequila— it tasted a whole lot worse than that. I dropped the glass on the bar table and coughed, tears flowing out from the corners of my eyes. _

_"Shit, Rosalie!" I spluttered. "What the hell was that? Rum?"_

_She grinned. "Ditto."_

_"You didn't say it was rum!" I coughed. "All you said was that it was a—"_

_"Bacardi 151. I remember it very well." She interrupted. "Bacardi _is_ rum, except that this one has more alcohol than the other drinks you've been drinking."_

_"Yeah, great." I muttered. "And you give me the one that tastes like shit."_

_"Hey, this drink is not for anyone and you have pulled this off!" She reprimanded. "For a first-timer, you did well!"_

Squeeze. Scatter. Pour. Swirl. Drink. Repeat. Squeeze. Scatter. Pour. Swirl. Drink. Repeat. I knew that I was already hammered. I didn't care. I continued the vicious cycle of self-destruction until a strong hand grabbed my left hand. My head snapped to the left and I glared. "What do you want?" I slurred a little.

"Are you even legal yet?" He asked.

I gave him a seductive smile. "Well, I'm twenty-one. Do you want a glass, or me?"

"You're drunk." He said, then stared at the rum bottle on the table. "Bacardi 151? Are you trying to go straight into your deathbed?" His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Oh, no..." I replied, tracing circles with my pointer finger on his pale arm. "There's already my sister in there..."

He waved his hand up and I frowned. "What are you doing?"

The flight attendant came over. "Please remove these and get some Xanax. Do not give her any liquor if she asks for it." Edward told her and she nodded furiously. She picked up the bottle of rum and I was about to stop her until he grabbed my arm again.

"What are you doing?!" I tried to yank my arm from his right grip. "Let me go!"

"I think I've had enough of people getting drunk for now," he told me.

"Who do you think you are?!" I hissed. "You're not my father or my brother! You're not the boss of me!"

"I'm just trying to help you." Edward replied.

"No you're not!" The alcohol kicked in fully and I was really slurring through my words now. "You're just like all of them; pretending to know what's best for me. I'm a grownup now. Don't pretend that you care for me because nobody loves _me_!"

"You don't know what you're saying," he whispered. "Of course someone loves you. Your family, friends—"

"Forgotten already?" I laughed. "I have no friends!"

"Well, then I'm your friend now. Calm down and just relax."

He ran his fingers through the tangles of my brown hair and I smiled. "Oh, that feels good." I moaned.

"Just calm down." He repeated. I closed my eyes in sheer unadulterated pleasure and heard a clink in front of me. I opened my eyes again and found a glass of water and a Xanax next to each other. "Take it before you fall asleep again." Edward said. "Gets rid of the nasty hangover."

"As if I don't know that." I snorted. I threw the Xanax into my mouth and drank the water served. It washed down all the bitter, sour taste from the rum but it didn't wash away the bitter memories of her.

* * *

My eyelids fluttered as I awoke from my sleep. Edward had his head in his hand as he stared at his laptop, looking extremely stressed about something he read as he browsed through his emails. The light highlighted his jawline and eyes. I studied the way he reacted— his eyebrows crunched together as he swallowed, his Adam's apple moving up and down. His grayish-green eyes flashed from the corner of the screen showing the time and the emails. His jacket was off.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked.

He finally looked at me, his cold eyes softening. He then ran his hand through his hair, glancing at the time again. "Probably close to five hours." He replied.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

He chuckled softly, turning off the laptop. "I could've slept, but I had to keep an eye on you. You don't really make this kind of trouble normally, do you?"

"I said I was sorry." I said defensively.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." he sighed, and I could still see him shaking his head through the darkness. "Four more hours until we land in France." He then paused. "You said something about your sister in the grave..."

I shook my head, snuggling deeper into the article of clothing that was keeping me warm. "I'm not saying anything about that. How old are you?"

"Twenty-four." He replied instantly. "What's your name?"

"Why do you need to know?" I said. "Anyways, thanks, I guess."

He leaned into his chair. "For what?"

"For watching out for me. I could've done worse things. I could have even... caused the plane to crash or something."

He laughed and I stared at his shadow. "What?" I said.

"You always think of the negative, don't you?" He asked.

I grumbled. "I hate you so much."

He faced me, and I could see the outlines of his smile. "Hey, I'm sorry, okay?" He whispered.

I stayed silent for a while, then nodded, accepting his apology. "You don't sound like you're from San Fran."

"Chicago." He confirmed my observation. "I was just there for a pit stop, and here I am now for vacation."

"It doesn't look like vacation to me." I commented. "You were checking your emails. And by the look you had on your face, it was work-related."

"Shit," he cursed, which made me surprised. He was so well-dressed and seemed to be properly groomed. "Was it really obvious? Sorry then. I have a really big job at my family business after this whole trip."

"Really?" I sat up a little. "What is it?"

"I've been working at my dad's company for four years now. I graduated from Princeton when I was twenty. My first job was to manage the sales department. I had to grow up in probably a week's time by cleaning up my act and dressing smartly." He said. "Now that Dad's retiring, he's putting me in charge of everything."

"That's hard." I said.

"Enough about me." Edward suddenly said and faced me. "What are you here for? Vacation?"

"Well, something like that," I replied. "I'm going all over Europe for these two months of summer. I'm also kind of staying over my grandparents' when I'm in Russia. My father's half Russian, so... yeah. And that means I'll be back home by mid-July. I haven't really sorted out on where I'm going next. It all just depends on the mood."

"Where do you study?" He asked.

"New York University." I replied.

"And what are you majoring in?" He prompted.

I nibbled on the end of my sleeve. "Okay, don't laugh at me and my parents think it's quite ridiculous but," I hesitated, "I'm majoring in Romance Languages."

I was waiting for an _Are you kidding me?_ or a _God, you're so lame _to come out of his mouth, but all I heard was fits of laughter coming from him. I groaned and closed my eyes in embarrassment. Immediately, I flipped over to the other side. "Oh, come on!" He said. "Okay, fine. You said that I couldn't laugh at what you were about to say and I did. I'm sorry."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Whatever. Go to sleep. You've been awake for five hours straight."

It didn't take him five minutes to doze off. Almost instantly, I heard a soft snore break out from him. I laughed silently. Boys will be boys.

* * *

I didn't even realize I fell asleep until the flight attendant nudged me awake and I stretched myself from my seat. I looked to my left and saw that Edward was still asleep. I nudged him. "Hey, we're here." I whispered.

It took him a few seconds to respond. He yawned and wiped his eyes. "We're here?" He yawned again.

"Yeah. Come on." I looked at the trail of passengers getting off the airplane. I grabbed my bags and got off the plane. When I was about to head out of the departure gate, I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder. I quickly turned behind and smiled. "Hey."

He grinned back at me. "So this is goodbye, then?"

"I think so." I replied. "Thanks for everything."

"Yeah. Thank you too." He pursed his lips. "Do I finally get to know your name?"

"No, sorry."

He sighed. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"Bye," I told him. He said his goodbyes and I walked away first, just like I always did. I still had a sense of feeling that he was still somewhere around me even when I got out of the terminal and took a deep breath of the crisp, cold morning French air, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I shrugged to myself and felt something slip off my back. I looked down and found that it was his jacket. My mind went back to when I saw him without his jacket a few hours ago and realized that he used it to keep me warm. I picked it up and as I stood on my toes, I tried to find Edward, but he was already gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Helloooooo and so I have some more Edward/Bella moments in France! Have fun. :)**

**Scarlett**

* * *

Once I checked into the hotel I was currently staying at, I spent my time napping for two hours on the bouncy bed and when I finally woke up, I snacked on almonds and was already getting bored of the soap opera showing on TV when I was three episodes in. I kept my feet toasty warm as the air-conditioning was cold and I couldn't bother to find the remote control for it.

I groaned to myself. I had been sleeping for so many hours and now all I wanted to do was to laze around as if I was back at home. I really needed to move. I wore on a short floral dress that had long sleeves and black stockings with black and light boots to keep my feet dry from the downpour outside. I grabbed an umbrella and asked the concierge about where was the best and affordable restaurant around and they gave me a map with directions.

The streets were filled with really attractive people— including the men. They were bold enough to wink at me when they passed by me. I flushed and melted under their gaze and considering how busy the streets were, I did that a lot. When I found the restaurant, it had a rustic feeling to it, with the windows replaced with mirrors and the walls were painted a yellow that reminded me much of royalty. The host ushered me to my table and I was left staring at the menu. I quickly ordered the pôchouse and plain water for my drink. I think I'd had enough of drinking ever since what happened in the plane.

"Is this seat empty?" I heard a familiar, velvet-smooth voice say.

"Yes, and this one will be too if you sit down." I replied.

He laughed at my reply and went to sit down anyway. I looked at him with a bored expression. "If you're stalking me, I have a gun in my bag." I warned him.

"Well, maybe you should consider that you're the one stalking and not me. I came in this restaurant before you did." He said.

"Oh yeah, sure. And what would a rich prettyboy like you be here at a budget restaurant?" I asked, sarcasm oozing out from my sentence.

"Because I can?" He cocked an eyebrow. He leaned in towards me. "So, did you miss me?" He jokingly asked.

I gave him a confused look. "Wait, you left? Is it possible if you leave again? Then maybe I can tell you my definite answer through telepathy while you're gone."

He sighed. "Okay, fine. If you want me to leave, I'll leave, okay?" He stood up and walked back to his table where he sat alone with a glass of coke and an unfinished plate of baked rice. I laughed a little and took out a book from my bag. I then realized the post-it notepad in my bag and I stared at it before taking it out too. I grabbed the pencil provided on the table and scribbled:

_Are you wishing that I'd invite you back to my table?_

I quickly folded it and when my pôchouse came, I asked the waitress to give the note to Edward. I saw her give it to him and he looked up at her, not expecting the note. He opened it and read my note. His eyes flashed towards my direction and he smirked. He wrote back and asked the same waitress to send the note back to me. She slipped it on my table and smiled. "The man wrote back. Is he your lover?" She asked in French.

I shook my head, laughing. "He is simply a stranger I met on the plane."

"He seems absolutely smitten." She observed. "He deserves a chance." She then left so that I could read the note in silence.

**No. Do you?**

I rolled my eyes and answered:

_You're such a liar. If you truly left me alone, you'd be out of here already. Whatever. I'm sorry and you'd probably want in again._

I folded the note back and called for the waitress. She already knew what to do and when Edward received it, he smiled his crooked smile to himself before writing down. He gave it to the waitress and she handed it to me. She sighed to me. "I wish I have a boyfriend."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't have one?"

She shook her head. "I'll just leave this little exchange between you both."

I read Edward's note.

**Fine, you caught me. But the baked rice's really good, though. And I'm shocked. The ice princess is apologizing to me? Again? I have a feeling you don't do that often. Do you?**

I wrote back:

_I don't apologize a lot, you're right. But don't get your hopes too high and think you're damn special already. You're still very much a stranger, which is why I apologize. Apologizing is so formal, so I might as well use it at a stranger._

**Ouch. I'm not close enough to you? You just wounded my feelings. **

He replied. I looked up at him and he was grimacing at me with his fist at his heart. I rolled my eyes at his antics, but couldn't help but smile.

_Good._ I told him.

**So is it possible that I can hear you apologize less to me?**

_No._

**Really?**

_Yes. Sorry. Pun intended._

**You really know how to ruin a guy's day.**

_I'm happy._

**You're a sadistic and charming lady.**

_That's the nicest insult I've ever heard._

**I just paid for your meal.**

_A man insulting me nicely and paying for my meal. How chivalrous and unusual that is. At least I get to save_, I wrote back before sending. I stood up to leave after finishing my meal. Edward was still seated at his table. I stopped there and smiled. "Thank you."

He chuckled. "You're welcome. So do you want me to walk you to your hotel?"

I pursed my lips. "Nope. And let's keep it that way. Sorry."

His grin went wider when he heard me apologize. "Someday, when we go out, I will never have to hear that word again."

I smirked. "Then you don't need to. Starting from now. And if I see you again, I'll be armed with an actual gun. Bye Edward."

"So I'm never going to get your name out of you?" He asked.

"I really hope this will be the last time I see you. You're annoying enough." I told him bluntly.

He cringed playfully. "Ouch."

"And that's why I'm going to tell you my name." I said. "I'm Isabella Marie Swan. And I hope I won't see you again."

* * *

For the next few days around Paris, I managed to take an audio-tour around the city and its attractions. Before the trip, I traced back my ancestry. Well, I couldn't necessarily visit all the countries in two months, so I decided to make the best out of all the countries I was visiting that my ancestry was from and wanted to see the villages of where I truly came from. For me, I didn't have to search far.

I took a train down to the Palace of Versailles and with my ticket in hand, I entered the palace. It was large and opulent, to summarize it up. Crystal chandeliers decked out the hallways and royal gold colors filled the walls. Statues and portraits of French royals decorated the place. I booked two tours— a tour around the palace and another tour around the Trianon palace and Marie Antoinette's estate. Originally, I booked for the tour around the palace in English, but it was fully booked so I settled for the French tour. I was better in French then the rest of the languages I studied in my major, so it wouldn't be a hassle for me.

I spent my time around the tour snapping pictures on the DSLR camera Jasper bought for me last year for my birthday even though I wasn't really into photography. I was glad to have finally found a reason to really use it. The tour group approached one of the kings' chambers when I turned to the back by my heel, with the camera at my eye when I saw what I knew I could recognize from anywhere in this world. I froze. I took a deep breath before moving my camera view up to take a picture of King Louis XVI's portrait instead of lingering.

I quickly turned back towards the tour guide and I felt so grateful for being right at the front of the group when he was at the back alone. The tour went along smoothly until the tour guide gave us a five minute break in the hallway. Immediately, I stayed as far away as possible from him. From afar, I realized how tall he was— he was 6'2", and I noticed how good he looked; he wore casual chino pants with a deep burgundy long-sleeved button down, the cuffs folded once and two buttons unbuttoned on his shirt. His loafers completed the look, with his dark bronze hair slicked back with just a little gel. His piercing green eyes kept darting around every inch of the place. He seemed like he really was here for the tour. At least it relieved me that he wasn't stalking me. Or maybe he already was an expert on it. I didn't know, for sure.

When his eyes were almost looking at me, I walked fast to the other side so that he wouldn't see me. He slipped his hands in his pants pockets and pursed his lips, looking at the picture of Marie Therese hanging on the wall that was behind me before I moved away. Something made him jolt a bit from the portrait and he took out his Blackberry from his pocket and started typing out on it. I studied how his forehead crunched up. A little v-line formed at the corner of his left eye, the right eye even more. He pursed his lips. It was probably work-related, like when he was on his laptop on the plane. He stopped typing and slid his phone back into his pocket. He closed his eyes and pinched his the bridge of his nose, annoyance written all over his face. He blew out air from his mouth and when he opened his eyes, they were hardened. His work must've really gotten to him.

Unexpectedly, his eyes softened. He probably thought of someone or something he loved. The little v-lines at the corners of his eyes disappeared in an instant an a small smile played across his lips. I was sure he had a girlfriend. It was impossible that such a good-looking guy like him would never be taken. Somehow, the thought of that made me feel like my guts fell out. I sighed and chided at myself to stop thinking about him. When the tour continued, I kept my distance, but watched him from far sometimes.

"Are you okay, _mademoiselle_?" The tour guide asked me in French, looking at me worriedly when I kept on looking at Edward behind.

"Huh?" I replied, and then realized what he was saying to me. "Oh, I am quite well. Thank you for asking." I said in French.

The tour guide nodded in acknowledgement and continued the tour.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I stumbled upon the carpet out of shock when I heard the voice whisper in my ear. A hand caught me by the waist and I stared up at Edward. When did he even move up here?

"Did you... Did you just...? Did you just talk to me in French?" I stuttered.

He smirked. "Why? Did you think I was really just a pretty face?"

"No." I quickly defended myself, crossing my arms.

"Everybody knows you need at least Chinese or Japanese for business, Latin and Greek to pass boarding school, Arabic if you're ever tapped by the CIA, French and Italian if you're ever in love, and Spanish if you want them to get things right in the burrito you order from Felipe's when you're shit-faced at two A.M." He said.

"Wait a minute— you know all those languages?" I scrunched up my forehead in confusion.

He shrugged. "I work at a business company, I went to boarding school, I was in love and I crave for the burritos at Felipe's when I'm drunk."

"So... you haven't been tapped by the CIA?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Hey, but I have a 4.0 GPA," he said. "I still learnt Arabic when I was in Princeton. Why, you don't learn all those languages?"

"Hey, I learn Italian, French, Spanish & Portuguese because of my major." I told him off.

He pressed his lips into a straight line. "Seems fair."

We stayed like that in silence for a few seconds and I couldn't not notice the way his arm was still wrapped around me when he saved me from falling face flat on the ground. His arm was holding me so close to him, my elbow touching his chest. It felt sinfully good to just be in his arms and I felt like I belonged there.

"_Monsieur_, _mademoiselle_, we are going to the next room," the tour guide pulled us out of our bubble and Edward let his arm fall away from my waist. I immediately took a step away from him.

"_Oui_, _oui_," I muttered, following the crowd. Edward chuckled right behind me.

The little girl with pigtails beside me who was holding hands with her mother suddenly looked up at me. She tugged on my sundress and grinned. "You're so pretty." She told me in French.

I smiled back. "_Merci_."

She then looked at Edward and blushed. "You look sweet together."

"Oh. No, we're not together." I then said in English and she looked at me strangely. Edward laughed and I glared at him.

"I am so sorry," her mother suddenly said in a heavily-accented English. "Sometimes she just assumes."

I gave her a knowing smile. "That's okay."

The mother tugged her daughter away from us as she gave a look of apology to us. I gave a small smile.

"What are you here for? The history or the sights?" Edward suddenly asked me.

"The history. My ancestry traces back to English, Irish, Scottish, Scots-Irish, Welsh, German, Swedish, Dutch, and French. The French part traces me back to the former French royal family." I explained. "So basically, I'm here to learn about my family."

His eyebrows shot up, clearly impressed. "So you have blue blood. Wow. And the fact that you dug so deep into your family tree..."

I shrugged indifferently. "Whatever."

"So... you being here— was it by accident that we're on the same tour at the same time?" He asked.

"Definitely an accident." I replied. "Why? Do you have an explanation to why we always find ourselves nearby?"

"Fate."

I laughed in disbelief. "Fate? Oh wow."

"Well, then do you have a better explanation?" he challenged.

"Stalking?" I said. "It's either one of us is stalking the other and it definitely isn't me."

"Are we really going back to the whole stalking thing again? Honestly, if neither of us are stalking each other, then fate's what's left."

"And fate took away all the things I loved, and fate had you to accidentally be wherever I am to annoy the hell out of me." I rolled my eyes. "Perfect, really."

He laughed. "And what exactly did fate take away from you?"

"That dog I kept since I was nine— he ran away four years later. My ex-best friend and ex— I found them sleeping together in my bedroom which prompted me to totally redecorate my bedroom and cut both of them off from my life. My favorite pearl necklace that totally complemented me— it got snatched from my throat by some homeless dude... and my sister." I ended.

"What happened to her?" He asked.

I hesitated. "She uhm, she got into a car accident and died three years ago. The Feds said they found high levels of alcohol in her system." I quietly replied.

Silence broke out between the both of us. "I'm guessing that I shouldn't say sorry?" he whispered.

I smiled humorlessly. "Why apologize for something you weren't involved in?"

"Because that's what people normally do."

"Can we stop talking? We're supposed to learn about the place." I finally said. He didn't reply and I listened intently to the tour guide.

I felt a large hand slip into my left hand. "Look, I'm here if you need me. You've just gotta talk."

"No thank you." I said in a clipped tone, removing my hand from his. "I'm leaving."

He frowned. "What?"

"I can't stay here any longer and all—" I took a deep breath. "I can't stay in France any longer now. I've already told you too much about myself and I don't... usually do that. I can't— I really hope I won't see you again. If we do, just pretend that you don't know me." I begged.

"Isabella, it's okay—"

"Bye Edward. I... Goodbye." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and left the tour group, heading towards the nearest exit.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, I know that I haven't been updating and it's because I've been busy moving into my new house and still adjusting to the fact that my exams are over. :) I'll update when I can, guys.**

**Scarlett**

* * *

I took the next train back to Paris and sat down at the window seat of the train. I took pictures of the scenery as the world passed by me fast. Somehow, that didn't seem to help the thoughts running through my head to quieten down. The way I left Edward was abrupt and harsh, but I had to make a clean cut between whatever that was between us both. But there was one mistake I made out of instinct. I kissed him. Even if it was on the cheek, it still didn't matter. I kissed him and now, I knew that I was ripping apart at our clean seams. Why was I thinking so much of a kiss on the _cheek_? So much about me giving a clean break.

By the time I arrived at the hotel, my phone started buzzing in my pockets. I grinned at the caller ID and picked it up. "What did I do to receive this call?" I said.

"You haven't called me in the past couple of days and thought I'd check in with you. What have you been up to?" He asked.

"Sightseeing. That's all. Do I need to buy you a souvenir?"

"No thanks."

"What time is it back there? It's probably morning, isn't it?"

"Ten." He yawned. "I've been up since five."

"Go back to sleep. You need it."

"After this. What's the next city?"

"I'm not sure. I'll probably head over to Florence by tonight. How's Mom & Dad?"

"Dad is at his usual, I think. Mom has a new hobby. She does gardening now."

I laughed in disbelief. "Seriously? You're kidding!"

"Nope." He made a popping sound as he emphasized on the 'P'. "She has a new routine now- wake up, shower, breakfast, florist, home, garden. That's all. Now all of the veggies we eat are straight from the backyard."

"Well shit, Jazz." I told him. "Mom's probably working on losing that beer belly of yours."

He gasped dramatically. "I do not have a beer belly! If you haven't realized. I've been balancing my drinking with track and field- keeps off the useless pounds."

"Alright Jasper, I need to pack. Anything else you wanna tell me?"

"Make good use of the money I gave you. Oh, and make sure you bring home some seeds for Mom to garden. It has to be compatible with the seasons here."

"That doesn't sound like you requested for them. Did Mom tell you to tell me?" I asked.

"You guessed it. I love you, lil' sis."

"Hugs and kisses, darling. Talk to you soon." I told him before hanging up.

I packed up my bags and checked out. The lady at the counter was surprised by my unexpected check-out, but kept quiet about it. I boarded the Eurail with my train pass at the Paris Gare Lyon when it was 7.58 at night. I managed to have my dinner before at the restaurant situated there and when I was on the train, I stretched my muscles before sleeping on the train.

When I woke up, I was still two hours away from Virtimiglia, my pit stop in Italy. I went to change my clothes and brush my teeth before settling back down into my seat to continue sleeping a little while longer. I woke up again and I was at the border of France to pass the checkpoint. After I got through the Italian border of Virtimiglia, I got off the train and stopped to take my breakfast. I took a cab into the city to take my train to Florence, but there was a traffic jam and I didn't think I was gonna make it in time for my next train.

"Oh come on!" I said out loud. The cabbie glanced at me in amusement. "This happens every morning?" I asked in Italian.

The cabbie looked at me through the rear mirror weirdly. "You don't have traffic jams in your country?"

I sighed. "Yes, but now I'm late for my train and—"

"What time does the train leave?" He asked.

I checked my phone which was still set to the time in Paris, but I knew changing it wouldn't even make a difference. "Eleven fifty-eight."

"You will arrive at eleven fifteen or so. The traffic jam is normal." He assured me.

I heaved a sigh of relief. "_Grazie_."

He was right. I was at the intercity train station by 11.20 and I got on the train as soon as I possibly could. It took me seven hours to arrive in Florence and I spent my time staring at my cellphone, not knowing what to do.

Until Edward's name snapped into my mind.

I took out my mini-laptop from my backpack and Googled him. He was even more important than I thought. He had his own Wikipedia page with his birthday and his full name posted up. I resisted the temptation of looking at the page, but it was _only_ a click away...

"Screw this." I muttered, closing my laptop shut before I could do anything I would regret. I got up to buy myself some bread to fill my stomach a little in the meantime. I napped a bit (which was starting to become something I did a lot), and when I woke up, I decided to look through my photos in the DSLR. There were a lot from the Palace of Versailles and I thought I saw Edward in one of the photos. I scrolled back to the photo.

Edward was standing in the middle of the halls, looking around the place in wonder. He looked like he was in a photoshoot with the way the sunlight came through the huge windows, highlighting the red in his hair. I must've taken it while I was hiding from him.

The train came to a slow halt and I arrived at Florence.

* * *

I stayed in my hotel without leaving for three days. Straight.

I knew that I had to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city, but there was this _fear_ of meeting Edward again— scratch that, when I meant fear, I meant something that was so similar to fear but was never fear. He probably was still in France, or maybe some other country. I wasn't sure. He was after all a son of a business mogul that I was sure he didn't have difficulty with moving around.

I stayed in my hotel room snacking, surfing the Internet, and watching some TV. It was the usual things I would have done if I was at my dormitory with nobody around. I hadn't had a proper meal for four days and that was surely not healthy. Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder where Edward was. Lorde constantly played on my speakers whenever I turned them on. She was my favorite.

Finally, I crawled out of the bed and changed from my pyjamas into a simple sleeveless black dress that ended halfway at my thighs. I covered myself up with black stockings and slipped on black heels as well. Heading out of the hotel for the first time in days, I felt refreshed just breathing in the air. I walked down the lane, just taking a stroll when I found a printing shop. I paused, then entered, feeling the need to print out a picture.

I had the photo I picked out printed out in a size that I could put in my purse. After that, I left the shop and entered a cafè, ordering a cappuccino with a slice of cake. I turned on my laptop and logged in to the WiFi from the cafè.

As I surfed the Internet for some mindless Hollywood gossip which I did quite often, I caught sight of a photo on TMZ.

Me & Edward.

I recognized our outfits in the picture, and this was when we were in the Palace of Versailles. He sure was quite the celebrity even when he specialized in business, but I didn't understand how I had never seen articles about him on the website. I clicked on the photo of us that had a heading below: "Edward Cullen spotted with mysterious brunette in Europe". I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

I read through the article:

_Edward Cullen sure is sought after, even when he's taken._

_There have been reports about Cullen, 24, going to Europe for a holiday without his fiancée, Tanya Denali, 23. We thought that it was fishy, and sure enough, it was exactly what we got._

_He was first spotted with a gorgeous brunette in a budget restaurant in Paris and they were said to be passing notes to each other, recalled an eyewitness. "They exchanged flirty glances," the eyewitness said, "but they never went back together. She left before him."_

_The second time he was spotted with her was a few days later down in the famous Palace of Versailles. Apparently, they were seen having their own serious private conversation in their tour group and Cullen reportedly held her hand for a second to which she pulled back. She then left a few seconds later abruptly with a kiss on his cheek._

_"He looked a little dazed when she left, probably because of the kiss on his cheek but then he shook his head and looked like he was in deep thought." A member of the tour group described._

_So what is happening between the brunette and Cullen? Were they supposed to meet in Europe or did they meet by accident? Is Cullen cheating on his fiancée or is it just a harmless friendship?_

_Subscribe to the story below for more updates._

Edward. Was. Engaged.

Why didn't I think of that? And to have me caught by the paparazzi with him so close to me was disconcerting and didn't help with the situation either. What if his fiancé actually stalked celebrity gossip pages and found this one? I sincerely hoped she wouldn't.

Opening up a new tab on my laptop, I searched for the name, "Tanya Denali". She had a number close to Edward's search results and I clicked on the articles on the first results page. It was all about her and her involvement in charities and attending functions. She seemed to be in the same social circle as Edward, since before they even dated they were on the same articles at the same events because her father was an owner of a world-famous company. It was bound to happen that Edward would find a fiancée fit enough to be with him, who complimented and matched him. The pictures where Tanya Denali was holding on to Edward's arm made them look like the ultimate power couple.

Almost instantly, I shut down my laptop and closed it, breathing out heavily.

"It's nothing," I whispered to myself. "Nothing but harmless conversations between two strangers."

_How sure are you? How sure are you that this is nothing but a harmless conversation between two strangers? A stranger wouldn't pour her problems out to another stranger who barely knows her_, my inner voice questioned my every move after I said that out loud and I finished up my drink and cake before leaving the cafè.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I've finally updated *sigh* and well, Bella always says the same thing over and over but what she says doesn't really happen, does it?**

**xx Scarlett**

* * *

"How much stuff did you bring?" Jasper asked as we spoke on the phone. "I mean, you can't necessarily bring your whole wardrobe to Europe."

"I have only one suitcase, so I think that isn't the whole wardrobe." I replied. "Anyways, I'm going out tonight to see the nightlife."

"Clubbing?" He said.

"That's the life of an average college student," I shrugged even when he couldn't see.

"Bella, you're probably the most anti-social person on your campus. You don't have friends."

"I know. I'll just dance alone or with strangers." I told him. "What are you doing now?"

"I'm on the laptop, doing some assignments." He replied.

"And probably being a little sissy by checking out gossip sites?" I teased.

"Oh, you know me all too well, doll." He replied in a sarcastic tone.

"So you are."

"Whatever. You like doing it too." He said. "Real Housewives of Atlanta... Miley Cyrus... Ed—" he paused, seconds ticking away silently and yet deafeningly. I could feel that there definitely was something wrong. "Bella, where are you at?"

"Florence, Italy." I frowned as I took out a black collared dress with three-quarter sleeves from my suitcase. "In my hotel. Why?"

"Where did you go two days ago?"

"Paris." I said. "Palace of Versailles. Why?" I repeated.

"How do you know Edward Cullen?"

"What?" I said in shock. "Jasper, are you on TMZ? Whatever they say about Edward cheating on his fiancée with me is bullshit." I them muttered to myself, "Cullen is going to get it from me."

"So you knew he has a fiancée?"

"I found out through TMZ too. We were just strangers talking. Nothing much other than the coincidental run-ins."

"Are you sure?" He sounded a little skeptical. "Damn sure?"

"Yes." I exasperatedly told him, my hand on my forehead as I stood before my suitcase on the hotel bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "It's nothing. Whatever the dumb paparazzi are speculating, don't listen to them."

"I trust you." He said, but it sounded like a warning. "Okay, I've got to get off these websites. They aren't good for me."

"Damn right they aren't." I laughed. "Love you."

"Love you too, baby sis." He said, then hung up.

I took off my current dress and changed into the dress I just took out. Its hem ended halfway down my thighs and I just left my stockings and heels on. I called the concierge for some recommendations about some clubs I could go to. Once I got at least one that sounded interesting, I took off into a can to arrive at my desired destination.

The club wasn't in a shady neighborhood, but it was more of in the tourist part of Florence. I didn't take a look at the club but knew that this was the right one. I entered with just one flash of my ID. The place was pretty dark and I could see the outlines of people swaying to the music. The smell of alcohol and sweat attacked my senses and I walked through the sea of bodies to the bar. I settled for a cosmopolitan and just sat on the empty stool that wasn't taken up. I took a sip of my drink as if I was still new to alcohol and observed everyone here.

"An iced Irish Coffee and a Russian Black!" A female New York-accented voice shouted over me, trying to beat the volume of the music. A bill was thrown over my head and the bartender in front of me nodded to the woman behind me. She moved around to sit on the stool recently emptied by a man.

She was a brunette with short spiky hair. Her skin was slightly tan and her eyes were brown. She was easily one of the shortest and prettiest girls I'd ever met. I felt plain sitting beside her. She caught me looking at her and smiled, facing me. "_Ciao, mi chiamo_ Alice!"

"Uhm, I'm American." I muttered.

"Oh?" She raise her eyebrows. "You look pretty European to me."

I didn't know whether that was a compliment or not. "Thanks," I mumbled.

"What's your name?"

"Bella," I replied. "Nice to meet you, I guess."

"Did you come here alone?" She asked.

"Yeah." I replied. "Summer vacation. You?"

"The same!" She exclaimed. "I'm twenty-one. Currently in my sophomore year at State University of NY."

"You're from the SUNY? I'm from NYU." I widened my eyes in shock. "Which major?"

"Fashion designing." She said, checking me out. "Hey, actually, you can be a model."

"What?" I paled. "I'm not even tall enough."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'm not asking you to walk the runway, darling. I mean, photoshoots. Where are you going back to after your trip here?"

"I'm... going back to New York. I need to find some place to live in for my senior year soon." I replied. "I'm not really thinking of staying in San Fran to work, so I might just be staying at wherever I can even after I graduate."

"My apartment is really empty. You can stay there!" she squealed. "Maybe if you drop by my place you might like it. When are you going back to America?"

"Uh, I still have about until mid-July."

She cocked an eyebrow at me questioningly.

"Italy is only just one of the stops for my holiday. I'm going around Europe for two months."

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious? Oh my god, that's just so cool! Can I tag along?"

"Sure." I hesitantly said. "Are you sure you have everything you need for two months' worth of traveling?"

"I brought like, half my wardrobe with me! Of course I do have everything I need for a two month vacation!" She replied in a heartbeat. She held her hand out. "I totally forgot— I'm Alice!"

"Yeah, I understood what you said just now." I told her. "I'm majoring in Romance Languages."

"You can make a career out of that?" She asked. "That's pretty handy if you plan to travel around all your life."

"Yeah, it is." I replied. "Honestly, I don't know what to do with my life."

She took a receipt that was left on the table and a pen from her purse. She wrote down something on it and handed it to me. "Here," she said. "My number. Actually, I have some strings I can pull for a photoshoot here. I just finished my autumn collection for my exams. It's over, so I can just get a friend of mine to send over at least one or two dresses. Please, tell me you'll at least do a picture in one of my dresses!"

"Alice, I'm not so sure—"

"Please?" She had her eyes wide, impossibly making my heart wrench.

"I wasn't about to say no," I sighed in defeat. "I was just saying that doing a photoshoot for an autumn collection here in Florence during summer isn't the best thing to do. Tell you what, we'll do the photoshoot in Russia. That's one of the stops even though it's considered part of Asia."

"You're going to Russia?" Her eyes widened. "Great! You know, I've got a dress inspired by Russian culture. You'll love it." She drank up her iced Irish Coffee and stood up from her seat. "You know what, we should take a walk outside. You know, freshen up."

"You... You just drank coffee that had a shot of whiskey in it." I deadpanned. "And you still have another cocktail."

She shrugged. "I can just give it away." She picked up her untouched drink and passed it to the random stranger beside her. "The drink's on me!" She said in Italian. The stranger thanked her and Alice grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the club.

* * *

"I just broke up with my ex-boyfriend. He cheated on me with some redhead drama major. I mean, she wasn't even pretty, and her voice was so high pitched." Alice rambled. "'James, don't leave me!'" She mimicked. "Fucking drama majors. I hate them so much." She muttered.

"I've never had a boyfriend before but there was only one. He was a jerk. Afterwards, I never dated again." I told her.

"Never?" She said, skeptical. "I mean, there's got to be some guys who've asked you out."

"There was," I admitted, "but the more antisocial I became, the less guys asked me out. I didn't mind though. I prefer being alone most of the time."

"Bella, you need friends. Am I your friend?"

"Yes." I said without hesitation. "Definitely a friend."

She breathed in the cool breeze and we sat down on the edges of the Fountain of Neptune. The water behind us was a soothing sound and it was pretty cold in the night. There were barely people since it was eleven at night and Alice kicked off her Louboutins and placed them beside her.

She closed her eyes, her legs out straight. "This is so peaceful."

"Yeah, I guess it is." I replied. I stared out into the place and I decided to close my eyes too. I took in the sounds of the water and suddenly, I heard footsteps.

"Isabella?" Edward said.

My eyes snapped open in shock and disbelief. "Edward," I gasped. "Oh god."

Alice opened her eyes and they darted for me to him. "Who's this?" She asked, curiosity oozing out of her tone.

"He's no one." I snapped unintentionally, but Alice got the message. She didn't question me further.

"Isabella, I don't understand why you just left like that two days ago." He said.

"Because I don't want to get deeper into my past— haven't you gotten the message?" I hissed, standing up to push him away so that Alice or anyone else couldn't hear.

He grabbed my bare wrists and I gasped at the electricity bursting through my veins. I pulled away from him in an instant and glared at him. "Don't touch me!" I snarled. "I told you to pretend you don't know me if you see me!"

"I can't ignore you." He replied with fire in his green eyes that I couldn't not see.

"Yes you can," I hardened my jaw. "Have you seen what pictures the paparazzi have been taking and what they've been saying in articles?"

He froze. "What?"

I crossed my arms, my chest heaving in fury. "They've been saying that you've been cheating on your fiancée with me. You never even _mentioned_ a fiancée."

He ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, I have a fiancée. The only reason why it never came up was because you never asked, but I guess that isn't a good reason, isn't it?" He sighed.

"Good that you know." I sneered. "You know, despite whatever of my guts I've been spilling out to you, I have a life, okay?"

"Who's she?" Edward glanced at Alice.

"She's a friend." I replied. "Yeah, I have a friend, okay? You don't need to look so shocked."

"Isabella, look, I'm sorry." He told me. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you things that mattered. I won't do it ever again, okay?"

"Yeah, you won't." I agreed with a straight face. "Because I'll make sure I won't see you again."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh hi. Haha, so I haven't been updating for a few weeks. Pardon my tardiness. Anyways, enjoy.**

**xx**

* * *

"Shopping here in Florence is _so_ easy," Alice said as she skimmed through racks of designer clothes. It was probably the fifth day I'd known her. "It's fashion paradise."

"It kinda is. So anything else happening in your life other than what you told me last night?" I asked.

She pulled out a floral dress and passed it to me. "This one totally suits you. It's gorgeous. Take this." She digressed, then thought a while about my question. "Actually, there's nothing else to talk about now. Let's talk about what happened that night, shall we?"

"What night? What about that night?" I folded my arms as my lips pressed into a thin line. I was hoping she'd avoid asking that question.

"Oh nothing... Just probably about you looking so angry at some hot guy wearing an Armani coat."

"Nothing happened." I snapped.

"Keep telling yourself that, darling. It'll turn into a bigger problem if you do convince yourself that it's nothing the next time you guys see each other."

"We'll never see each other. I made it clear to him already."

"But how sure can you be?" She asked. "How did you even meet him anyways?"

"It doesn't matter— he's always been wherever I've been ever since I've laid foot in Europe last week. It's getting annoying as fuck now." I said.

"Oh, fate already has something in store for you." She rubbed her palms together in anticipation. "It's getting totally exciting."

"Don't get your hopes up, Al. He has a fiancée and he didn't even bring her up for all the times we talked."

She gasped. "Are you jealous of her?"

"What?" I glared at her. "That's ridiculous. They both look perfect together anyways. I've seen pictures of them together."

"You stalker," she teased as she nudged my shoulder playfully. "So when are we going to leave Florence? Where are we going?"

"You better get an Eurail pass; we're going to Germany."

* * *

"Isn't this fun— traveling around Europe with a buddy? God, this is my first time. I'm so excited." Alice commented as we got on the train. She was carrying two large suitcases unlike me as she pulled them up.

"Well, we'll have to see first. You're my first traveling buddy too. Hopefully, you'll tone down your enthusiasm during the right time." I rolled my eyes.

"Germany's gorgeous, I've heard. How long are we going to be in here?"

"Fifteen hours, tops. We can move around... head to the bar down the train or get a snack? I'm just happy there's wifi here." I told her, settling down in our cabin and immediately taking out my laptop.

"No, you know what? We're gonna talk about ourselves. You start first." She sat down opposite me and smiled pleasantly, crossing her legs in the process.

I looked at her incredulously. "Why should I start when you want to play?"

"Because I say so, okay?" She replied.

I sighed in exasperation. "Fine. My name is Isabella Marie Swan but I prefer Bella. I'm twenty-one and I grew up in San Francisco and I now am in my third year at NYU. I'm part albino because of my mom and I have two siblings, Jasper & Rosalie. Rosalie died four years ago in a car accident and I now only have Jazz to lean on. I've never had any friends except for those in kindergaten which I've lost contact with. I like books and gossip which is something me & Jazz always like to check on and now I have a friend I've made five days ago with me on my first trip around Europe named Alice who's you. Would you like to know what I'm about to do now?" I sarcastically asked.

"That would be nice."

"I'm going to go to TMZ and see if those shitheads are still flying like flies around those rumors that Edward's cheating on his fiancée with me." I snapped, annoyed that she wanted to know.

"Wait— he's Edward _Cullen_?" She widened her eyes.

"No, he's Edward Norton, that actor." I sarcastically replied. "Of course it's Cullen— who can't recognize that damn guy? I didn't on the first day I met him."

"When you said those keywords 'Edward' & 'TMZ' I immediately thought of him. That website loves him so much even when nothing much happens in his life." Alice remarked. "Damn, I didn't know you got dragged into the paparazzi situation."

"Apparently, anyone within a five-mile radius aroun him has been targeted by them." I booted up my laptop and as I waited, I stood up. "You wanna drink something?"

"Cola." She said. "Are you drinking at the bar there or what?"

"I am." I told her, picking up my laptop so that I could do my things at the bar. "Hope you don't want your drink anytime soon."

* * *

"Give me your best German beer," I requested when I was at the bar. I sat at the stool in front of it and scrolled through my emails. There was an update from TMZ saying that there was a new article about Edward. I opened up the link and read through the article;

_Cullen looks like he's setting himself up for a pretty bad heartbreak._

_After reports about him and the mystery brunette at the Palace of Versailles, he's now been spotted in Florence, Italy alone. He wasn't so alone when he stumbled upon Mystery Brunette with her friend at the world-famous Fountain of Neptune. Cullen & Mystery Brunette seemed to have a fight over there when he approached her and she left first, according to eyewitness reports._

_"He then when drinking at some nearby bar," stated the eyewitness. "He seemed to have gotten it pretty bad."_

_Perhaps we're looking at a future broken engagement between Cullen & his fiancée Tanya Denali because of his infatuation with this brunette or maybe even Mystery Brunette might turn her negative feelings towards around and find a happily ever after with Cullen, but who exactly is she?_

I rolled my eyes and closed the page before doing my Portugese assignment that I needed to hand up via email by this week even though it was the holidays. Right when I was in the middle of writing in that language about how Portugese & Spanish differed, I was busy drinking German beers that couldn't be found back home either, and it tasted as good as I expected it to be.

"You're really not happy with me, are you?" Edward asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Why is it that everywhere that I go, you're always there?" I sighed, exasperated. I didn't bother to be angry.

"I told you, fate."

I pressed my lips together in a thin line. "Okay, fine. Fate. So why are you on a holiday anyway? I mean, why isn't your... fiancée here with you?"

"Because, she was never my actual fiancée."

That sentence had me stop my writing. I froze and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we were never interested in each other romantically." Edward explained further. "It was all just an arrangement we had. We grew up together and it was tradition that my family members were to get married by twenty-five or else the family will pick the spouse. I didn't want to get married to a stranger, so we had that all planned out. Just last night we broke it off but luckily society newspapers haven't caught a gist of it yet."

"You guys broke it off?" I frowned. "Why?"

"I told her I met someone else and she was more than happy to agree to an end to the relationship we were never in."

"So who's the lucky chick?" I laughed. "Is she gorgeous? Smart? And how did she steal your heart?"

"She's really beautiful, but it's not that kind of beauty where it really is in your face. It's more of like, if you look at her longer and study her features, she starts to be more and more beautiful than she already is."

"I've never heard that coming from anyone, let alone a man. I should give you credit for that." I commented, impressed with how he viewed that girl. Somehow, I felt like more of my guts were ready to fall out. This uncomfortable tinge tangled my stomach in knots.

"She stole my heart when we were in Paris." He just smiled.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you expect? It's the City of Love after all. Although Paris seems to be a very romantic city now, it was really dirty back in the eighteenth century."

"Apparently, she's very witty and sarcastic. She always has been ever since we met, but I know that she's gone through a lot more than a person her age normally does and I salute her for that, but for the past few times we've seen each other, it has always ended on a bad note." He looked down at my pint of German beer.

"Really?" I took a large swig of my beer to keep his eyes away from it and to drown down the feeling of utter discomfort as he talked about the girl he had fallen in love with. "Why?" The more I asked, the more I was digging in too deep for my feelings to handle.

"I try to talk her out of her shell, but she doesn't allow anyone else to see what she's been through and how she feels. She's very closed off."

"Then stop trying to pull her out of her shell. You know, people like that need to get out of their shells alone. I mean, she will open up to you when she's ready. Don't pester her the way you pester me because it's seriously annoying." I advised.

"Don't worry. After hearing what you said, I probably won't. And yeah, I guess she's smart."

"Why would you say that?"

"She's in NYU right now, sophomore year. She's going all over Europe from what I've heard. She's quite the language person since she majors in Romance Languages. She's currently writing a Portugese essay at a bar, and the beer in her hand is looking like it's gonna fall out."

My beer almost spilled from my mouth when I heard what he said. I quickly gulped the liquid down. "_Motherfuck_." I squeaked. I glared at him and tried to ignore the color of his eyes. "Edward, don't fuck with me. Please tell me this is an absolute joke."

"I'm not kidding."

"Then... what was with the mindfuck?! Are you kidding? I literally thought you were talking about someone else ever since you talked about 'her beauty'! This isn't funny, okay?!" I shut my laptop and left the bar. "You just ruined _everything_!"

"Isabella, please." Edward started to catch up with me as I walked through the different cabins of the train. "Please, I don't understand why you're like this. I'm sorry for the way I confessed— _Shit_, Isabella, you can't just run away from everything for the rest of your life!"

Those words caught me like a fish in a net. I couldn't move. I clutched my laptop to my chest as I caught my breath when Edward moved around to face me. His grayish-green eyes had me caught under his spell and I couldn't tear away from them.

"Why do you always run away from everything?" He whispered.

"Because that's the only way I can escape."

"Escaping isn't all that good and doesn't really serve a purpose for certain things."

"I just don't like getting attached to things and people that are gonna go someday."

"Were you really close to your sister like that? To the point that when she passed away, you locked everyone out?" He held my wrist near my heart when I flinched about him mentioning Rosalie. "In the end, everyone gets lonely, Isabella. I know that you like being alone, but you can't avoid the feeling of loneliness sometimes."

And for the first time in years, I came out of my shell and he was the first person I truly talked to.


End file.
